“Do you need help?”
Meadow spun and saw the healer moving their way. She smiled. He was known only as Healer. Neola adored him. Her little arms reached for him.
“I wanted some quiet time with Neola. Arax is busy with Crash and the council.”
“I was headed out. I bet Neola would love to build some sandcastles.”
The healer soon had both of them pressed to his chest and he slipped through the pounding deluge without any fuss. He gave Neola back and tweaked her tiny nose.
“I won’t be long. I need some herbs from the swamps. Stay on the beach but follow me to the swamp line. I’ll be able to hear you from where I am. I’ll gather some twigs for a drawbridge and help when I get back.”
Meadow watched him go. He was built smaller than Arax and not as muscled. Arax told her he was their only healer and not a water warrior. Meadow knew he must be of great importance. He was revered.
The swamp area the healer ventured into was an off-limits magnet to the eyes. Arax had taken her to the edge but on only one occasion. She followed the healer as far as she dared and lost sight of him. The ocean connected with the swamp, turning a dark black. The ancient trees rose from the shallow depths of the darkness. Arax had explained the water was misleading. There were water portals that could take people anywhere.
Neola fell strangely silent as they stood motionless. Meadow had no intention of going further; she only wanted to see where the healer went in. Neola’s toys were down the beach a small way. As she turned a call for help stopped her in her tracks. The healer sounded as though he was in trouble. Meadow didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t take Neola into the swamp, and she couldn’t go under the falls alone to get help. Another cry reached her. She couldn’t stand there and do nothing.
Leaping from moss-covered mound to moss-covered rock was slippery going. Deeper she ventured, holding tight to Neola, trailing the healer’s cries for help. Out of breath, she stopped and a cold finger trailed its way down her spine. She spun around. The healer leaned against a tree, watching her. Confusion hit until hard reality set in. She was alone in dangerous territory, and worse the healer was now the enemy. He’d purposely lured them there. She wondered if he had watched her and Neola near the falls.
“Why?” she whispered.
“Arax is a pup. His father would roll over in his grave if he knew he had a human for a mate. I can forgive the child her heritage, but you will not do. I saw the images in our healing machine of what humans do to humans. It’s sick and twisted. Humans are perversions. Neola can be trained not to hurt, but it’s bred into an adult. I saw it. Awful atrocities committed against one so vulnerable, and I’ve had nightmares every night about it. They grow worse with you here. As it is she will have to be watched daily. What will you do to her or another of us?”
As you watched me daily.
“Not all humans are the same. I’d never hurt anyone.”
“Of course they are all the same. All of our people are the same. Any who knew of the atrocities committed to Neola, like Arax, are the same.”
“Arax would never set me up.”
“You’re alone, aren’t you?”
She glared at him and his insinuation. “You lie.”
“Give me the child.”
“Never.”
“You see, you will not even save the child.”
“I will save her from you, you’re the perversion. I won’t have you stalking my daughter every day of her life. And know this—neither will Arax. He will hunt you down.” For a single second the healer blanched. Meadow was right, it was well-known her mate loved both her and the babe. Meadow bolted as his gaze went grim.
Fleet footed on a marsh terrain was nearly impossible, but Meadow put in a valiant effort. She had no clue if the healer followed, but she heard so many sounds surrounding her, including her heartbeat, that she couldn’t tell. All along the healer hadn’t been watching her progress, he was finding a moment to get her alone. His reasons were garbled. To blame all humans for the acts of a few others was wrong. As Neola sobbed Meadow ran, her feet sodden to her knees, until she could run no more. Slipping, she caught herself then pressed her back against a huge trunk of a dead tree. A white, spidery, cotton substance hung from the branches in sheets. Gray dankness hung in the air thickened by fog.
It was no wonder Arax didn’t like this territory. Gone were the sweet aromatic scents of flowers and grass. Ominous waves in inky black ponds rolled with the slightest breeze—the movement misleading that there was life within the embrace of death. The ocean was near. Both sides could be seen, the nothingness clashing with a semblance of life. Fifteen feet away from the open water, she clutched Neola in a tight embrace and watched in horror as a massive shark slid up the bank from the ocean. It stopped two feet away and stared.
Meadow had never seen anything so large and terrifying. Instinctively, she knew this was the common foe of Arax and Crash. The creature could eat her in a single gulp. Meadow had heard of a megalodon, she had seen pictures and artifacts, but seeing one alive and up close was unnerving to say the least. Fetid breath washed over her as the shark appeared to size her up. She blinked hard when she heard it chuckle.
The shark struck forward with lightning speed and closed its mouth over both her and Neola. Meadow screamed, the shark’s movement plunking her onto her ass in its mouth. They were swimming, Meadow felt the motion. Steadying her quivering body, she wrapped protectively around Neola and pressed against a row of teeth to keep from being thrown around.
“Good God, I wonder if Jonah felt this way.”
The beast didn’t bite down as Meadow rolled around despite her efforts to remain immobile. Its tongue curled at the side of his mouth, keeping her body firmly in place as it picked up speed. The only place to go would be to back up and Meadow peered down the shark’s throat. To maintain her sanity Meadow started humming to the baby. The rocking motion of the shark’s movement and her sweet tone lulled the baby to sleep in her arms. Meadow curled around the baby to keep her warm. She wondered how long the beast would let them live.
* * * *
He was the biggest son of a bitch Meadow had ever seen in her life. He was bald except for a Mohawk from the top of his forehead to the back of his neck made up of bone or protruding cartilage. His dark black eyes bore a single vertical line of yellow down the middle that widened for a moment then lessened. Tattoos in all shapes, colors, and sizes adorned his body. He wore a simple garment of tight black shorts, nothing more.
“So you are what all the fuss is about.”
“You speak my language?” Meadow was beyond shocked.
When the shark had slowed Meadow wondered if he would eat them at his leisure, instead he changed as he spit them out and he walked onto land with her and the baby in his arms. Meadow thought she was hallucinating but his warm, wet chest pressed against her felt too real as he strode determinedly for his lair. When he set her down it took every last ounce of her strength to remain standing.
“I know many languages, thanks to the Angano.”
Meadow clutched Neola tighter. “What do you want with me?”
“My warriors are interested in what it would feel like to mate with a pretty, little human. From the size of you I would guess a male of my species would have to be very loving and gentle—we are not. I wonder how long you would last. How many could sport with you before your demise, my pretty.”
Meadow sized him up. For a second his threats had her knees quivering. “You didn’t bring me here to rape me.”
“Rape is a human’s word. My species copulates to reproduce. Enjoying the feeling is simply a bonus.”
“You would kill me.”
“Not necessarily. I could keep you for a very long time and allow only one warrior at a time to have you.”
“What the fuck do you want?”
“Fuck?” His amusement was apparent. “I plan on having you. If you amuse me, I might keep you for myself. But right now I have another idea.
”
A movement to her left caught Meadow’s eye, and she screamed when Neola was ripped from her arms by another massive male creature who resembled her captor. Her captor grabbed Meadow to his chest and both could hear the enraged wails of the baby as she was taken away.
“Keon, don’t let the girl out of your sight,” yelled her captor.
“She’s only an infant!” Meadow screamed.
“It is because she is an infant she is being taken away. The Angano would kill her first, crush her tiny brain with just a thought. If you survive, you will be a great asset to my people when war comes.” She was turned in his arms and again pressed tightly to his chest. “If you are of use, I may spare you and allow you to keep the child.”
Meadow grit her teeth. “Arax is going to kill you.”
He laughed and rubbed against her. Meadow’s eyes widened in surprise. She felt a huge appendage slither over her leg and wrap around her upper thigh.
“Go ahead and look,” he taunted. He pushed her back a small way.
Meadow looked down and stifled a cry of fear. His long cock wrapped around her upper thigh, pulling her hips close. Thick and long, if a cock could look cruel his did. She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip, squeezing her until a small whimper escaped her lips. He flashed a sinister smile and stopped applying the pressure.
“Such tender flesh, I’ll have to remember that. For now, you have a choice to make, live or die. The creature you are about to see will kill you if you don’t concentrate on killing it first. I suggest you annihilate it. They approached with the idea of being allies. I don’t need allies.”
Meadow clamped her teeth so tightly together her jaw ached. She wanted to vomit. The tip of his huge cock slid across her clothing between her legs, leaving a wet trail. He was aroused. His cock was incredibly hard. He held her perfectly still and, with his hand in her hair, he tilted her face down to watch his next move. Meadow stifled a scream when a razor sharp looking triangle appeared on the tip of his cock.
“My kind don’t allow a female to keep us from what we desire. The shark females heal if this course is necessary, but it’s painful. The people of Arax only struggle for a mere moment. I’m guessing if I were to penetrate with this you would bleed out. So don’t move.”
Using the razor, he cut the fabric of her clothing, nothing more. Meadow didn’t move, didn’t blink, and couldn’t breathe. She felt him moving against her soft flesh. He didn’t penetrate but only slid himself against her. The razor disappeared.
“No worries,” he whispered in her ear as he lifted her higher so he wouldn’t have to bend from his great height. “I will be careful in our first joining. I wouldn’t want to kill my advantage if you prove useful.”
“What do you want?” Meadow ground out.
“If you let the creature kill you, the child will be of no use to me. Dispose of the alien.”
The threat was unmistakable. Somehow he expected her to kill some enemy of his. If she was successful, there was no mistaking what would happen, as his gaze devoured her. She had to keep sane until Arax saved them.
“I will kill the creature,” she ground out, but had no clue what this monstrosity couldn’t battle.
“My name is Dacquel. You’ll need to know what to scream when I make you come.”
“If I scream, the only thing I’ll call you is fuck-head.”
Dacquel released her and she dropped to her knees. He gripped her hair, forcing her to come within inches of his huge cock. “I will enjoy you in this position.”
Meadow glared up at him, hating him. “I like sushi, but I’ve never bitten into shark. Yet.”
Dacquel gripped her arm and tugged her back to her feet. “We shall see.”
Meadow was propelled down a large, dark corridor. At the end of the hall were cells. Inside a large cell was a creature suspended in flight, hovering two feet off the ground. Dacquel called the creature something, its name perhaps. The creature tilted its head up. Meadow backed up into Dacquel.
The wings of the pasty white being were transparent as was its body. Meadow could see its organs; she could see blood pulsating through veins. It was tall, much taller than Dacquel, but so spindly it looked like a poof of air would blow it away.
Looks can be deceiving, female.
The creature was in her head, talking to her. “I can hear you,” Meadow whispered.
Can you feel me?
A blinding pain assaulted Meadow’s mind. She gasped and fell to her knees, her hands holding her head.
This gift will do.
The being spoke to Dacquel in his own language, but Meadow understood every word. She sent a furious glare at Dacquel. He had lied to her. She was the prisoner of a prisoner to toy with.
I tire of your hospitality. I will take my female and leave. My kind will have a pleasant time torturing her to see how best to gain information of the humans.
The cell door flew open. Dacquel bellowed in rage. He grabbed the creature’s wings and tried to slam it against a wall. The creature stopped inches short of the wall and laughed. Dacquel was thrown, spiraling, arms pin-wheeling as he landed in a heap. Now Meadow understood. The being fought its battles with its mind. No wonder Dacquel was at a loss, dumb ass that he was. For a moment the being was content to toy with Dacquel.
Meadow had scooted back during the confrontation. With the assault to her mind stopped, she concentrated. Neola’s life was on the line. The being was so different, so disgustingly and creepily insane. A gripping knowledge captured her, holding her, forcing her to explore deeper within her mind. She could feel her intelligence thriving as the knowledge from the alien grew, somehow she tapped into its thoughts. Her breath caught.
Its wings mesmerized her. They were so thin Meadow thought of paper. Images of holding a magnifying glass up to the sun to shine on tinder came to mind. The blaze started with tiny licks of flame as it came to life. She added larger kindling as the blaze grew. Her mind expanded with her thoughts.
Sudden screaming in her mind jarred Meadow back to reality. The creature was on fire. The blaze engulfed the creature until only its bones remained. They dropped to the floor one by one with a clatter. Stunned, Meadow knew she was the cause of the fire. She’d battled a being the megalodon couldn’t fight and had won.
Dacquel laughed.
“It appears the rumor is true,” Dacquel said. “Human females can mind battle.”
My people will come. Meadow heard the creature’s tortured screams.
“Then they will die.” Dacquel was smug.
As the bones turned to ash, Dacquel picked Meadow up and tossed her over his shoulder. The sickly smell of burnt flesh hung in the air as they exited the corridor. Meadow gasped, her head throbbing in agony. Somehow she had killed that creature. Her. How? And more importantly, could she use this battle skill on her captor?
* * * *
Both Meadow and Neola had been stolen by a megalodon. Arax had no idea how or why. There should have been no way Meadow could have left the safety of his territory. Dacquel was leader of a far band of ancient sharks. Cruel creatures who hunted for sport. Arax had to move fast, Dacquel was an evil bastard. On land or sea, the leader had no mercy. His gang of predators stole females for sport, sometimes leaving them pregnant. Arax had no idea what would happen to Meadow if she were to bear a megalodon half-breed. If the child were male, Dacquel would accept it once it was old enough. But was it even possible? Arax’s head ached with the thought of anyone touching his Meadow. No matter if the child were half-human, the dark side of the fierce shark had proven to be too strong for both the shark people and Arax’s. Even Crash hated the species, it was why they’d put their differences aside for the time being.
Arax knew what he had to do, he would have to humble himself and ask Crash for his help. It would take both their warriors to go after the megalodon. He hoped Meadow would remain calm. He wondered if the bastard had thought to tell her he wouldn’t eat her. It was doubtful; Dacquel lived to strike t
error into others.
The only consolation Arax had was that Dacquel would allow nothing else to touch her, except his warriors, and only if they were careful. Even that beast would know there could be no breeding of his species with her. Please, he has to know. There was no way a human female could withstand the force of a megalodon copulating, it would kill her. Dacquel had to understand she was more important to him alive. He mustn’t touch her. Arax clung to this theory. There had never been any report on the megalodon ever mating any species in its water form; it was too powerful, too brutal. Fear leapt into Arax’s heart of the few disturbing disappearances of shark people, females, who were never found. There was speculation about what had happened to them and it’d been nothing good.
Arax wondered if Meadow had ever heard of the supposedly extinct massive shark, at least it was said to be extinct on Earth, but not so on Arax’s planet. It was a mystery how Dacquel had learned of Meadow, or perhaps he had simply been hunting for a female to play with and came across them. Either way it did not bode well. Dacquel wouldn’t dare harm Neola. Arax and his people would never stop hunting them. Crash would never stop hunting him, you do not kill children, but it was a mystery why he had taken her. Dacquel had no use for children.
“Trax,” Arax bellowed.
His brother came into the room. Trax had been wayward for some time. Arax wasn’t positive what his brother had been up to, but had his suspicions. He felt it time Trax was introduced to his sister-in-law and niece. Arax was happy to have him home, but the introduction would have to wait until he found his family.
In His Alien Hands Page 8